These Wellness Trends Are On The Way In 2019

Without fail, health goals are among the most popular New Year's resolutions made by the most well-intentioned each January. Vowing to "exercise more" and "eat more healthily" (or try veganism, like seemingly everyone else) are the most obvious ways to hop on the #wellness train, but why stop there?

Gwyneth Paltrow has a new recipe book, The Clean Plate: Delicious, Healthy Recipes for Everyday Glow, out on 8th January and will no doubt bring the dreaded phrase "clean eating" back into the spotlight. The Goop CEO and founder promises "clean recipes" made from "clean" (that word again) ingredients. The backlash may have been rumbling on for about three years now, but "clean" eating shows no sign of going away.

This 'new' respiratory-focused wellness trend caught the eye of many a health editor in 2018 – including our own – and it looks set to balloon in the new year. The technique – which involves controlled breathing in a bid to influence your mental, emotional and/or physical state – has been around in Western countries since the 1960s but "guided breathing" classes are becoming increasingly available at gyms and on fitness apps.

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Home exercising will step up a gear

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Exercising even more effectively at home

Home workouts are already a big deal thanks to fitness apps and YouTube channels, but your sessions look set to become more technically advanced in the new year. We saw a rise in home workout platforms like FiiT in 2018, while searches for "band workouts" – an effective and, crucially, quiet way to exercise indoors – were up 1913% in 2018 compared to last year, according to Pinterest's 2019 trend report.

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Niche wellness retreats

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Wellness retreats are becoming even more niche

According to projections from wellness travel company Health and Fitness Travel, in 2019 people will be taking "painmoons" (anti-honeymoons following a bad experience or a period of poor mental health), divorce and menopause retreats, "fertility trips" (for couples trying to conceive) and sugar detox holidays. Mums, meanwhile, will be taking "wellness mumcations" – forgive the terrible name, it just means a bit of "me time" away from the crying and 3am feeds associated with new parenthood.

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Digital wellness

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It'll be easier to form healthy online habits

There's no shame in admitting to being on your phone too much, but thankfully some tech companies are making it easier for us to get a handle on the problem. In 2019 it's going to be easier than ever to use your phone for good, with the "digital wellbeing" movement gaining traction. Apple's Screen Time feature and Night Shift mode make it easier to create good habits, while Google just launched a whole digital wellbeing section on all Pixel phones. (While it's great the company is encouraging users to switch off and "focus on what matters most", we need to remain cautious because, well, it's still Google trying to sell a phone.)

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Keeping well in the workplace

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Workplace wellness

If you're employed full time, your work environment can make a big difference to your health (freelancers and the self-employed have a bit more flexibility). Employers are increasingly realising the benefits of a healthy workforce (for them and us), and taking more responsibility for staff wellbeing, adopting measures like mental health first aiders, flexible hours (with promising results), later starts and a four-day work week. Companies are also being encouraged to address burnout and promote self-care. Fingers crossed for a healthier work life in 2019.

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Wellness gets eco-friendly

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Eco-friendly, socially conscious wellness

There was a big boom in packaging-free products and packaging-free stores in 2018, which take inspiration from old-school grocers, fishmongers and butchers by avoiding packaging and unnecessary chemical processing. There'll be more where that came from in 2019, as the anti-packaging and anti-plastic movements continue. New grocery stores, like Natoora in west London, are also trying to introduce a transparent and sustainable supply chain to our otherwise opaque and environmentally damaging food system.